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The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

What is the One, Next, Right Step to Sales Success?

steps to sales successSales tend to stall. Every salesperson with a pending list realizes that this week looks too much like last week. As does every sales manager who's listened through the excuses about why this or that prospect is still pending.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,”  ~ Lao Tzu 

We know that to accomplish big things, we need to break them down into smaller tasks. But, we’re often too busy to actually slow down and apply what we already know. Many companies have a defined sales process, some more structured than others, and it’s the lack of following that process that is stalling most sales.

Topics: sales process

Weekly Roundup: Living in an Age of the Empowered Buyer + More

prospecting-in-the-age-of-the-empowered-buyer

- MOTIVATION -

"THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SUCCESSFUL PERSON AND OTHERS IS NOT A LACK OF STRENGTH, NOT A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE, BUT RATHER A LACK OF WILL."

-VINCE LOMBARDI

 

- AROUND THE WEB -

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Living in an Age of the Empowered Buyer Requires a Fresh Approach to Prospecting — LeadG2

Outbound prospecting for new business has always been a bit of a numbers game. Years ago, when I first started as a Sales Development Rep, the formula was simple. If you made 100 phone calls, you could expect 10 appointments, and at least 1 of those prospects would turn into a client. The numbers would vary from industry to industry and market to market, but that was the standard everyone was shooting for.

Outbound prospecting is still a numbers game today. Unfortunately, the numbers are just a lot bigger. It requires more phone calls and more emails than ever before to get fewer responses, fewer appointments, and fewer clients. Why is it so hard? What’s changed?
>>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

What are the Benefits of Sales Enablement and a Sales Playbook?

Editor's Note: This post was originally published on the LeadG2 blog.

sales-enablement-sales-playbook

Most managers and sellers have experienced this:

  • A seller is moving a new business prospect through the sales process.
  • All signs are positive.
  • The prospect goes silent, and will not respond to email, phone calls, letters, or stop-ins.
  • The seller goes to his/her manager and asks for advice.
  • The manager spends time listening to the seller, conducting diagnostic work, and providing advice to the seller (what to do to restart the stalled sale).

On the surface, this sounds like a good system, but in reality, it is not. Here’s why:

  • Managers work with multiple sellers—doing this for many sellers takes up a great deal of time and is often redundant (same problem… same solution).
  • Sellers might not have easy or timely access to their managers—this delays the sales process and allows the sale to get further off track.
Topics: sales enablement sales playbook

10 Tips to Help You Find Superstar Sales Talent (VIDEO)

When sales managers are working to build their talent bank with qualified candidates, it's not easy. Couple that with your desire to have the very best sales talent in there, it gets quite a bit harder. 

Topics: recruitment

What You Can Learn From Losing The Sale

what you can learn from losing the saleOver the last couple of months, I have had a number of clients share with me that they lost out on a couple of large deals that they had felt pretty strongly about. In each of those scenarios, my first question was, "Do you know why?" More often than not, the answer to my question was, “I’m not sure.”

Anyone who has ever been in a sales position has received a “no” in their career – most likely more than they would like – it comes with the job. But, it is what you do with the “no” that separates the best from the rest. Diagnosing where you may have gone wrong in the sales process can help to minimize making the same mistake in the future.

Topics: Proposal sales process

Weekly Roundup: Personalization Strategies to Boost Sales + More

salespeople individual

- MOTIVATION -

"OPPORTUNITIES DON'T HAPPEN. YOU CREATE THEM."

-CHRIS GROSSER

 

- AROUND THE WEB -

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8 Personalization Strategies for Boosting Sales — CloserIQ

For modern customers, there’s almost always more than one option when it comes to making a purchase. That makes it even harder for sales teams to close deals. But when customers are inundated by countless messages everyday, personalization can help.

Buyers don’t want to feel like they are part of the herd. They want to feel special and taken care of. Working to fulfill that need can help your team stand out. There are a variety of ways to personalize pitches and approaches. Be sure to keep these methods in mind when empowering your team.
>>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

The 4 Most Important Key Performance Indicators for Sales Managers

4 most important kpis for sales managers

Sometimes I wonder if our ability to measure almost everything is what gets in the way of us actually paying attention to what might be the most useful metrics. I’ve spoken with plenty of sales managers who are frustrated these days because someone upstairs has fallen in love with a new measurement, a new report, or a new way to look at familiar data. All these midstream changes result in plenty of heat and plenty of smoke, but not necessarily the light of new insight. Not much actually changes, especially at the bottom line.

Don’t get me wrong. I love numbers as much as the next person and I agree that measurement improves performance and is essential to success. But I also know we can’t keep changing the rules of the game. Performance improvement comes only when we focus on the same metrics over time. We need to follow the right measurements and stay focused.

What if you could only measure four things? Which would you choose?

What to do When You Can’t Get a Meeting With the Decision Maker

working with decision influencersEveryone wants a piece of the "big cheese"… the "head-honcho," the "main man" or "main woman," or otherwise known as the decision maker. Often, the lone source of the YES to the solutions you sell, connecting with the elusive decision maker can be mission impossible and derail a sale before it gets started.

These people are tough to get a meeting with because they are busy and in high demand, and don’t usually trust sellers or value spending time with folks like you. They’ve been burned by sub-par sellers in the past. Ouch!

What makes it even more challenging, is that everyone else is trying to get face time with the same decision maker as you. Plus, these folks are not as active on social media and are surrounded by gatekeepers.

What to do, oh what to do?

Topics: sales process

Personal User Guides: Show Your Coworkers How to Get the Best Out of You

personal user guidesIt is more important than ever before that sales organizations focus increased attention on emotional intelligence. As a sales performance company focused on turning talent into performance, we see evidence every day that when leaders are more self-aware and more aware of others, they are more successful.

Topics: company culture

Weekly Roundup: Marketing Hacks to Make You a Sales Management Guru + More

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- MOTIVATION -

"NEVER PUT OFF TOMORROW WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY"

-THOMAS JEFFERSON

 

- AROUND THE WEB -

<< If you only read one thing >>

Marketing Hacks to Make You a Sales Management Guru — Sales & Marketing Management

Sales managers are a rare breed. The job is challenging. The most successful sales managers demonstrate a knack for hacking other disciplines. Successful sales managers combine the skills of economists, data analysts, psychologists, sociologists and entrepreneurs.

They also benefit from hijacking a few best practices from marketers. Here are some thought-starters for hacking your counterparts in marketing.
>>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

The Most Underrated Tactic in Business Conversations

silence-listen-sales-management-leadershipIf someone has the “gift of gab” they're often told that they should go into sales. Which often, just gives salespeople a bad name. Think about it. None of us like the salesperson who just keeps talking. The one that knows everything and is willing to tell us every detail. Are you talking about something the other person expressed interest in?

Topics: sales performance leadership

How to Transform Weekly IFM's from Time Wasters to Performance Improvement Meetings

valuable ifm meetingSales managers know that if they want salespeople to have a healthy sales pipeline, they need to have a balance between proactive, upstream sales activities, and reactive, day-to-day tasks.

Sell That Smoothie! (Successfully Selling Integrated Solutions)

sell-smoothie-analogyShifts in consumer behavior over the last 20 years demand that businesses use multiple platforms to reach consumers. As a result, most media organizations today understand the importance of selling Integrated Solutions – just take a look at all of the capabilities that they have to offer a business to help them achieve their desired business results!

Topics: selling digital advertising integrated media solution

Weekly Roundup: Bad Sales Habits + More

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It's the LAST week to share your insight for the 2019 State of Media Sales Report 
CLICK HERE to contribute your expertise and help us develop an
extensive report to share in the Fall.

- MOTIVATION -

"TODAY IS ALWAYS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE DAY OF YOUR WEEK."

-MARK HUNTER

 

- AROUND THE WEB -

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9 Bad Sales Habits Every Rep Should Avoid — CloserIQ

2021 Media Sales Report - download nowSucceeding in sales is all about developing the right habits. But not all habits are sales-generating.

The industry has changed a lot in recent decades, moving towards a consultative approach. Now, some once-hallowed practices will actively hinder your ability to connect with prospective customers and close deals.

If you’re still doing these things, you’re not offering real value to your customers.
>>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

5 Books Sales Leaders Should Read This Summer

summer-book-list-sales

Editor's Note: This post was originally published in 2016 and has been updated.

At least once a week, I get asked by a sales leader if there is a business book I would recommend they read that will help them improve their game. That is a tough question to answer, because there are so many very good books out there, and depending where you are in your career (or your current business situation, or what you have already read), the right book for you could be one of several. So instead of picking just one book, I thought I would provide a list of five books that would make for great reading this summer.

Topics: Sales leadership

8 Historic American Leaders and Why They’d Make a Great Sales Leader Today

great sales leader qualities from american historic leadersTomorrow is the 4th of July, or Independence Day. It's a day that we as Americans reflect on our freedom, our heritage, and our history. In honor of this, we asked a few of the CSS team to chime in for this post. We asked, "If you could pick one historic American leader that would make a great sales leader today because of their strengths and talents, who would it be?" Here's what they said. 

Topics: holiday leadership